Welsh choir Cor Glanaethwy and dance troupe Entity Allstars have become the first two acts to make this year’s ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ final after the first semi-final took place tonight (25 May).
SEE ALSO:
Cor Glanaethwy were put straight through to Sunday’s finale after topping the public vote, leaving judges Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and David Walliams to chose between singer Henry Gallagher and Alesha's Golden Buzzer act Entity Allstars to join them, with all the panel bar David plumping to send the dance act through.
There also was disappointment for David’s chosen act Lorraine Bowen, however, as she crashed out of the competition.
Tonight’s thrilling semi final also saw a Guinness World Record broken live on air as Mitch and Cally the Wonderdog popped the most balloons by a dog in 60 seconds.
“I’m so proud of what she did, she’s a world champion,” dog lover Simon commented.
Other acts who performed included impressionist Andrew Fleming, singer Becky O’Brien, roller-skating duo Billy and Emily England and dance group Ruby Red Performers.
The semi-finals continue tomorrow night when singers Alison Jiear and The HoneyBuns, dance groups Old Men Grooving and Groove Thing, solo dancers Bonetics and Luca Calò, magician Michael Late, dog acts Jules O’Dwyer & Matisse and Amanda’s Golden Buzzer pick Revelation Avenue.
‘Britain’s Got Talent’ airs all this week at 7.30pm on ITV.
Meet all the 'BGT' semi finalists in our gallery below...
BGT Semi Finalists
Lorraine Bowen(01 of45)
Lorraine has been performing for 25 years. She caused controversy between the judges after performing an original song about Apple Crumble with her keyboard rested on an ironing board. Simon said it was “one of the worst songs we’ve had on BGT” whilst Alesha who initially buzzed, she claimed Lorraine had won her over.
Boyband(02 of45)
Corey 18, Mike 18, Dylan 18, Jaih 17 and Mikey 19 are students from London. They impressed both the judges and Ant and Dec with their slick hip hop and break dance routine to Uptown Funk.
Beckie O'Brien(03 of45)
Becky is a teacher and mum of five from London, at just 4ft 9 she feels her height has often held her back. However, she blew the judges away at her audition where she performed ‘Over the Rainbow’ by Judy Garland. Alesha told her she fell in love with her before she even started, and Simon said he felt like he was being “welcomed into heaven”.
Old Men Grooving(04 of45)
Patrick, Fred, Phil, David and Brett surprised the audience and judges with their age-defying, high energy dance routine. They received a standing ovation from the judges with Simon saying, “there are a lot of dancers I get bored by, but I could watch you all night – age is nothing but a number.”
Calum Scott(05 of45)
Calum is a 26 year old recruitment officer from Hull. The first audition was bitter sweet for Calum when he performed immediately after his sister who received four no’s from the judges. However, he managed to blow the judges away with his rendition of ‘Dancing On My Own’ by Robyn, with Simon stating, “I have never heard a guy with the talent that you’ve got”.
Marc Metral(06 of45)
Marc grew up in a village in France where his parents were peach farmers; he now lives in Paris. He found his beloved dog Wendy five years ago in a pet shop, and said they immediately had a connection. Their double act left a lasting impression on the judges, particularly Simon who said he felt “emotional” about finally finding a talking dog after nine years. Amanda told Marc “you are making television history”.
The Kingdom Tenors(07 of45)
This twelve piece vocal harmony group are from various regions across the UK. Their audition saw them perform a version of ‘You Raise Me Up’ which impressed the judges; Particularly David who told them “there is something for everyone in this group… the cute one with the floppy hair, the butch car mechanic one and the one with glasses for the more intellectual Guardian reading lady.”
Bonetics(08 of45)
Junior is a student from Essex. He has been dancing since the age of 11 and he feels that dancing has changed his life, helping him to overcome some behavioural issues in school. The judges found his routine, inspired by circus performance, contortion and yoga, gruesomely fascinating and he received four massive yeses.
U.D.I(09 of45)
U.D.I is a light performance group from Siberia. They run a dance school together where they hold dance workshops for orphaned and disabled children. All the members have danced their whole lives but are completely self-taught. Their audition saw them depict a story of good vs evil through dance which left the judges amazed. Amanda told them, “I think it was one of the best things I have seen in my whole life”.
Jamie Raven(10 of45)
Jamie is 31 years old and lives in Ascot with his wife Ashley. He has been a full time magician for 11 years and became interested in magic from a very young age. He performed a close up magic trick for the judges and left them all astounded, with Simon delcaring “I now actually believe in magic”.
Billy and Emily England(11 of45)
Billy 28 and Emily 25 are brother and sister from Birmingham, they are 6th generation performers within their family. Their audition saw them perform a dangerous roller-skating routine leaving the judges on the edge of their seats. They received a standing ovation from all judges and Alesha labelled them “fearless”.
Revelation Avenue(12 of45)
Corey 18, Mike 18, Dylan 18, Jaih 17 and Mikey 19 are students from London. They impressed both the judges and Ant and Dec with their slick hip hop and break dance routine to Uptown Funk.
Entity Allstars(13 of45)
Entity Allstars are a 20 piece dance troupe from Essex aged between 10 and 16. After one member, Lewis Platt, performed with his sister Lauren during The X Factor live shows, Simon advised him to audition for BGT with his dance crew. They performed a hip hop routine to a medley of songs and received a standing ovation from all the judges with David labelling them “world class”.
Ruby Red Performers(14 of45)
The Ruby Red Performers are a 12 piece burlesque dance group from the small seaside town, Withernsea. The group started in 2011 when one of the ladies started a dance class at the local church hall. The ladies begun going every week and their confidence grew. They duped the judges when their audition got off to a slow start leading Simon to press his buzzer. However the judges were pleasantly surprised when things hotted up and Simon retracted his buzzer, giving them four big yeses.
Jonathon Lutwyche(15 of45)
Jonathan is a schoolboy from Gibraltar. He first started dancing at just six years old and is determined to dance professionally. He performed an emotional contemporary dance routine for the judges, which included a combination of classical ballet and gymnastics. Alesha described it as “stunning” and Amanda said she had “honestly never seen anything so beautiful and heartfelt.”
Jesse Jane McParland(16 of45)
Nine year old Jesse is a schoolgirl from Northern Ireland. She both shocked and impressed the judges after her spectacular martial arts performance, with Simon even asking her “do you want a job as my security guard?”
Danny Posthill(17 of45)
Danny is a comedy impressionist from Hartlepool. He has been doing impressions since his teacher convinced him to enter a school talent show and he went on to win. He has had various jobs, but has been doing impressions full time for three years now. The judges found his comedy routine, which included impressions of David Beckham, Gary Barlow and Michael McIntyre, hilarious and gave him four yeses.
Emma Jones(18 of45)
Emma is 23 years old and lives in Wigton, Cumbria. She was extremely nervous before her audition and was overwhelmed by the positive reaction she received after her operatic performance, from the audience and the judges. Simon described the audition as “beautiful” and told Emma “I love you!”
Gracie Wickens-Sweet(19 of45)
Gracie lives in Somerset with her parents. She has been singing since she was two years old and her dream is to be star and perform to big audiences. The judges were impressed by her confidence and her vocals. Simon told her she was “cute, likeable and very controlled”.
Groove Thing(20 of45)
This 12 piece dance group from Wales is made up of 11 girls and one boy aged between 7- 11. The audience immediately fell in love with them and the judges thought they were all individually very talented. Alesha described them as “fearless and confident” and they got 4 yeses.
Luca Calo(21 of45)
Luca was born in Italy and has lived in London for the past three years working as a bartender. He performed a routine which involved him singing and dancing in heels with a big ending. Luca’s singing received 3 buzzes, however Amanda and Alesha removed their buzzers once they witnessed his dancing skills. Simon wasn’t impressed, telling him “I’m not sure what just happened” but Amanda loved it and said “you made a huge impact”.
The Sakyi Five(22 of45)
Reece, Aaron, Carl, Eden and Emmanuel are five brothers who live with their mum in London. The boys rehearse in Carl’s room for one hour every day. Their audition didn’t go entirely to plan after Simon stopped them during their first song, however he gave them a second chance and they won the judges over with their rendition of One Direction’s ‘Little Things.’
Andrew Fleming(23 of45)
Andrew has been mastering the art of vocal impressions for ten years. He performed a variety of celebrity impressions for the judges with a mix of spoken and singing impressions including, Frank Sinatra and Keith Lemon. He kept the audience and judges laughing throughout with David commenting “I think you have a real signature act here”.
Beat Brothers(24 of45)
John, Jo, Stuart, Barney and Matt are a five piece tap dancing group from various locations across the UK. They have only been together for a short amount of time and spend evenings and weekends rehearsing. They performed on glittering podiums, wearing suits and managed to impress Amanda, Alesha and David with their routine. Alesha suggested “topless tap dancing would be wicked.”
Jules O’Dwyer & Matisse(25 of45)
Jules is a 49 year old dog trainer. Originally from Blackpool she now lives in Belgium with her partner. She trains guide dogs and previously worked for the RSPCA. Matisse is a 7 year old Border Collie and is one of Jules’ eight dogs. Jules and Matisse performed a routine called ‘Dog Catcher’ that told a story of Matisse trying to escape from being caught. They received a standing ovation from the judges and David described it as “joyous and wholesome”.
The Honeybuns(26 of45)
Corrine, Jodie, Jessica, Kate, Sasha and Rosie are six singers “doing it for the big girls” and believe that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes. The girls performed their rendition of ‘It’s Raining Men’ and got the judges singing along, earning four yeses.
The Kanneh-Masons(27 of45)
This six piece classical music group are brothers and sisters from Nottingham, who live with their parents and have always loved to perform music. For their audition they performed Brahms ‘Hungarian Dance’ and received a standing ovation from the judges and Amanda told them “I feel so lucky that you have come on the show”.
Michael Late(28 of45)
Michael lives with his wife and works as a professional magician in Austria. Michael started doing magic when he was six years old and fell in love with it straight away. His audition involved illusions using a barrel and other props.
Maia Gough(29 of45)
Maia is a 12 year old school girl who lives at home with her family in Swansea. She astonished the judges with her powerful and memorable performance of Whitney Houston’s ‘I Have Nothing’. Simon told her “for all the right reasons I will remember you today”.
Misstasia(30 of45)
Rosie, Katie, Georgia and Enola are a four piece vocal group who are inspired by music from Disney. They have various jobs but would love to perform and sing full time. For their audition they performed ‘Part of Your World’ from The Little Mermaid. Amanda loved them but Simon was unsure and told them “this could be a good idea or you are the most annoying girl group in history”.
Peter Lambert(31 of45)
Peter is a full time entertainer from East Sussex. He lives at home with his family who are all very supportive of his act. He has been performing this particular act since 2005 although he started juggling at the age of 13. His audition showcased his many talents including unicycling, plate spinning and knife juggling. The judges gave him four yeses and David told him he’d “never seen anything like it”.
The Neales(32 of45)
Laurie, 59 and his three sons James 28, Dan 26 and Phil 24 told judges how they chose to audition after Laurie had a heart attack three years ago, which made him decide that he wanted to pursue his passion for singing. The judges loved their poignant performance with Simon saying “you’d have to be as cold as ice not to like that audition.”
Alison Jiear(33 of45)
Alison is a 50 year old backing singer and mum of two, originally from Australia, but who has based herself in the UK for the last 27 years. She performed a powerful and emotional rendition of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ and left a lasting impression on the judges. Simon told her “that was your one shot and my god you took it”.
Chloe Louise Crawford(34 of45)
Chloe has been working as a magician’s assistant in Las Vegas and now she wants to be the magician. For her audition she performed an illusion with a motorcycle, which saw her get into a box and transport herself onto the theatre balcony. The judges were left dumbfounded and gave her four big yeses.
Dylan Byrd(35 of45)
Dylan is at school and lives with his family in Co. Cavan, Ireland. He has been dancing for ten years and although he has never had any lessons, he loves expressing himself through dance. Despite failing to impress Alesha she said she admired his passion and he got 3 yeses from the other judges and a standing ovation.
Ella Shaw(36 of45)
Ella is a student and lives in a rural village with her parents and her two sisters. She has been singing since she was 11 and has written books of original songs. For her audition she performed her self-penned song ‘Summertime’ accompanied by the piano. The judges were all impressed by her talent with Alesha described her performance as “dreamy, subtle and cool.”
Mitch And Cally The Wonderdog(37 of45)
Long haired Jack-Russell Cally has been in Mitch’s family since he was a puppy and now 10 years old he lives with Mitch in West Sussex. With Simon watching the clock, Mitch and Cally attempted to break the world record for the most balloons popped in one minute. Unfortunately Cally didn’t manage to break the record, but the judges gave her a second chance with David stating “I think Cally can do it”.
OK Worldwide(38 of45)
This four piece dance group have been together for two years. Three of the members are originally from Romania but they now all live in London and train up to two or three times a day. Their audition for the judges was a routine combining various forms of dance including, breakdance, free running and acrobatics. They received four yeses and great feedback from the judges.
Narinder Dhani(39 of45)
Narinder is an IT consultant from Hounslow, where he has lived since 2008 with his wife and daughter. He invented his act at the age of 10 and has maintained the skill all his life. During his audition Ant and Dec joined him on stage and played the comb with him. He failed to impress Simon, who said “it’s the worst thing we’ve had in nine years” but the other judges loved the concept with Alesha saying “Is it hard? I’m going to try that when I get home”.
Cor Glanaethwy(40 of45)
This 160 piece community choir from North Wales has an age range of 7 – 65 years old. They did a powerful vocal performance of ‘Benedictus’ which left the judges hypnotised. Amanda described it as “stunning, beautiful, peaceful and heavenly” whilst Simon told them he “might be in front of the winners of the entire show”.
Henry Gallagher(41 of45)
Henry is a schoolboy from Wigan. For his audition he performed an original song called ‘Lightning’ which he penned for a girl at his school who wouldn’t notice him. The judges were won over by Henry’s adorable song and confident performance.
Jeffrey Drayton(42 of45)
Jeffrey is a 73 year old retired handyman from Norfolk. He describes himself as a ‘magical entertainer’ and his audition combined magic, roller-skating and his puppet Chantel. Jeffrey’s audition didn’t quite go to plan, but he still managed to win the judges over.
IMD Legion(43 of45)
This 26 piece dance troupe is from London and aged between 9 and 17. They have been together since 2011 and train up to four times a week. The group dream of one day owning their own studio. They performed a slick and powerful performance which earned them a standing ovation from judges and audience. Simon told them it was a “gold medal performance”.
Isaac Waddington(44 of45)
Isaac is a 15 year old school boy who lives at home with his family in Portsmouth. The judges got lost in his contemporary performance of Billy Joel’s ‘Always A Woman’. Alesha labelled his performance as “faultless”.
Lisa Sampson(45 of45)
Lisa is a self-taught hula hooping instructor who lives in West Sussex with her family. She started hula hooping when she took her children to a circus workshop in 2012 and she now has a collection of over 150 hoops. The judges loved her quirky and fun performance and gave her four yeses.